Replacement
by GarnetVengeance
Summary: Shouldn’t. Really, really shouldn’t. BAD Riku. Stop it before you get yourself in too deep. Axel would have my HEAD if I used his friend as a replacement for some unrequited love. Oneshot


Opening Notes: I exist for canon-rape. XD

My first attempt at first-person. Be gentle.

As for the setting… let's say it's 'slightly AU'. All the stuff in KHI and II happened, but I have messed to my content. You'll see how later.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

* * *

He leaned over, whispering something conspiratorially into her ear. She laughed, though whatever he said probably was closer to idiotic than funny.

God, I hated it.

They spotted me, and waved me over. I wavered for a moment, and decided I might as well.

"Riku!" Sora called. His arm was wrapped loosely around her – Kairi's – waist, something I pointedly kept my eyes off of.

God, didn't they know how much it _hurt_? Couldn't they _see_ how much it hurt me to see them like that? Together…

Couldn't they see how much I wanted _that_? It _hurt_.

"…Riku?" Sora blinked owlishly.

I blinked in return, and realized he'd been saying something.

"Sorry." I said, flashing a smirk, "Wasn't listening. What'd you say?"

"Geez, Riku. You've been getting more and more out of it lately." Kairi said, hands on her hips.

"This from the girl dating the biggest ditz on the island." I replied coyly, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey!" Sora cried, catching the insult.

All was as it should be…

"So, do you wanna go down to the beach with us?" Sora asked.

I considered it. But the prospect of watching the two together at the _beach_ was less appealing than watching them together anywhere else.

"Nah." I shrugged, "I'm gonna head home and get a head start on my homework. You lovebirds have fun, though."

"You sure?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. Positive." I turned, raising my hand in farewell. I heard Sora and Kairi exchange a few words, before I no longer could hear their voices. Checking briefly behind me, I saw they'd left. It had been easier than expected to deter them from taking me along. Normally Sora would beg and beg…

Huh.

I shook it off, and continued on my way back. No use in worrying over it… Sora had probably wanted to be alone with Kairi from the get-go, and had only invited me out of politeness.

Sora? Polite? That was a first…

I chuckled to myself, rounding a bend, stopping when I noticed who was coming in the opposite direction.

Roxas.

He, too, had apparently noticed me, as well. He also paused in his trek, blinking owlishly at me.

"Hey, Riku." He said in greeting.

"Hey."

We stood there for a few moments – awkwardly, I might add. I'd never spent much time around Roxas, really. Besides that time in Twilight Town… but did that really even count?

"Heading home?" I prompted, wanting to end the silence.

"Yeah. You too?"

"Yeah… You wanna come?"

Why in HEAVEN'S name did I ask that?!

"That is, that homework we got today… we're in the same class, and we could start on it. It's tough, and there's a lot of it. It might help lighten the load a bit." I blurted out, trying to justify my invitation.

Roxas blinked at me.

"Sure. Why not."

I blinked in return. I hadn't expected that, really.

He turned on his heel, looking at me over his shoulder. "You comin'?"

"Uh. Yeah."

* * *

That sneaky… little… SNEAK!

I should've seen it coming. I've known Sora since we were kids, and Roxas is him in every aspect but body.

Kinda…

Anyways, the fact remains: I should've seen this coming.

"This makes NO sense." He said flatly.

I sighed. "It makes perfect sense; you just don't get it because you refuse to." I ran a hand through my hair.

"How can you simplify it if there's no numbers?" He cried, gesturing in the direction of the pages and pages strewn out in front of us.

"You're still thinking in terms of SOLVING. We don't want to solve. Just simplify… make it less complicated." I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Should've seen it coming…

"It's too complicated to make it less complicated!" He exclaimed, waving his pencil about.

"I'm gonna make some tea. Just… keep trying." I rose and headed for the kitchen.

Putting the kettle on, I groaned, and stretched out some of the kinks in my neck. That boy was as dense as a brick wall, and about as adept at math. Why had I asked him over again?

The kettle began to whistle, and I went about the deliciously simple and monotonous task of making tea. Nothing relaxed me like simple and monotonous tasks, and lord knows I needed it after today.

"_Riku? Have you seen Sora today?" Kairi asked innocently._

"_Sora? No, not today." I replied, shutting my locker, "Why? Something wrong?"_

"_No, no reason… He said he'd meet me for lunch, that's all."_

"_Kairi!" Sora cried, appearing behind her and pouncing._

_She shrieked, admonishing him for sneaking up on her like that. He just grinning, looking like a contended kitten. _

_I writhed and squirmed on the insides, wanting to cry out that this was _wrong_, that they shouldn't be together, that _I _should be the one to be with…_

"Got it!" Roxas cried out, rushing into the kitchen.

Turning, startled, my hands lost their grip on the kettle, and it fell to the ground, exploding in a shower of pottery and hot water.

"Shit!" I hissed, backing away from the nearly-boiling water. Damn that was hot.

"Ah, damn it! I'm sorry, man." Roxas replied, grabbing a towel on the counter and making to clean up the mess.

"No, don't!" I began, but it was too late. Roxas, the dense idiot that he was, had tried to wipe up the nearly boiling water. Idiot.

"Shit!" He cursed, snatching his hand away.

I sighed, stepping over the puddle. "You idiot. That was hot!"

"I noticed!" He snapped.

I picked up his hand, examining it. It wasn't too bad, thank goodness. Axel'd probably have my head if I let anything serious happen to his dear little Roxas.

"It'll be fine. We've just got to run it under some cold water, for a bit, and…" I trailed off. Roxas was sitting there on the floor, staring at me with those big, blue eyes of his.

_Sora in every aspect but body._

Shouldn't. Really, really shouldn't. BAD Riku. Stop it before you get yourself in too deep. Axel would have my MANHOOD if I used Roxas as a replacement for some unrequited love.

If he ever found out…

But Roxas was SO very soft.

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Closing notes: Whoot! Completed in… just over an hour. XD I can't say I'm TOO pleased with my attempt at first person. Too much like third, just replaced the pronouns. Which, though that makes it first person by definition, doesn't give it a nice first person feel. Ah, well…

Hope you enjoyed it. Hope it wasn't too angsty. Hope it wasn't too emo. Hope Riku wasn't too OOC. Hope it wasn't too inconsistent. Hope it wasn't too short to make sense. Hope you'll review.


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